Apparatus for producing comustible gas



May 9, 1939. A. HOLDEN ET AL APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING COMBUSTIBLE GASFiled April 17, 1956 INVENTORS afiimq/ mm ji/awn/ "fi ATTORNEYs PatentedMay 9, 1939 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFiCE APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING COMBUS-TIBLE GAs nia Application April 17,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for producing combustible gas,and refers particularly to an apparatus for producing a combustible gasby contact between air and a low boiling point 5 hydrocarbon oil so asto produce a rich, substantially dry mixture of hydrocarbon vapors andair, which may be utilized in substantially the same manner as naturalgas or artificial gas, such as. coal or water gas.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a simple andeconomical form of apparatus for generating a gas fuel for domesticpurposes, which apparatus is especially adapted for the manufacture ofgas for an individual ZiLus-e or establishment where there is no generaldistribution of gas fuel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus whichis easy and simple to operate and which can produce economically 2 a gasfuel from low boiling point hydrocarbons, such as gasoline, without thedanger incident to -..susual apparatus of this kind which requireheating of the gasoline or low boiling point hydrocarbon oil to vaporizethe same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatuscapable of producing a rich mixture of vapors of a low boiling pointcoinbustible oil with air under low pressure.

Various further objects and advantages of the 30 present invention willbe understood from a description of a preferred form or example of anapparatus embodying the invention, and for this purpose we havehereinafter described a preferred form or example of an apparatusembodying the invention, the description being given with reference tothe accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is an elevation mainly in vertical section.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevation, partially in section of one of thepriming pipes.

Referring to the drawing, the apparatus there illustrated is shown aspreferably comprising a vertical well 2, the lower end of which isspherically curved and provided with an opening 3, into which is fittedan inlet pipe 4 for convey- 50 ing air under pressure into theapparatus. Within the well 2 and at the lower end thereof the air inletpipe 4 is provided with a head 5 having air distributing apertures 6.

At its upper end the well 2 joins the rounded bottom 7 of a main tank,which is preferably pro- 1936, Serial No. 74,950

vided with slightly tapering conical side walls 8 and with a roundedhead 9 at its upper end. Within the main tank there is provided aconical dividing bafile iii, the lower end of which is sealed to therounded bottom 7 spaced somewhat from the side Walls 8. The upper end ofthe conical dividing bafile Ill terminates in a pipe I! passing throughthe head 9, and there is provided with a filling cap l2.

At the lower end of the tank and within the conical baffle i6 there isprovided a perforated and dished distributing baffle l3 which, on itslower end surface, is provided with a plurality of circular flanges idfor supporting the distributing baffle above the bottom 1 of the tank.Within the well 2 there is provided a plurality of priming pipes I5which lie against the walls of the well 2 and at their lower ends arecurved, as indicated at E6, to bring their ends adjacent the dischargeaperture 6 in the head 3 of the inlet pipe 4. At the upper end of thewell the pipes i5 are bent back, as indicated at H, to lie against thebottom 1 of the tank, and this portion of the priming pipes is split, asindicated at I8 (Fig. 3), so as to direct hydrocarbon oil into thepriming pipes from the tank.

The pipe i l connecting with the upper end of the conical bafiie illconnects with a pair of diametrically opposite pipes or lines l9, whichextend downwardly between the dividing baflle l0 and side walls 8 of theapparatus to the lower end thereof, at which they are connected into Tportions 26 (Fig. 2), which are curved and provided at their lower endwith spaced apart openings 2| for distributing gas. At the upper end ofthe apparatus is indicated a gauge 22 and a gas fuel outlet line 23provided with a valve 24.

In the operation of the apparatus herein described, the apparatus may besubstantially filled with a low boiling point hydrocarbon oil, such asgasoline, through the removal of the cap !2. The pipe 4 is thenconnected to a source of air under low pressure, such as 4 or 5 poundsper square inch. Any suitable or usual form of apparatus fordistributing air under a predetermined pressure may be connected withthe pipe i, the apparatus preferably, however, being designed to deliverair at a predetermined pressure. The gas outlet line 23 leads todifferent places in consumption of the gas fuel. The valve 24 may beopened and the gas then will be. automatically produced and withdrawnfrom the apparatus as it is required by the consumers through openingvalves leading to burners, etc., in the usual manner.

13, which causes the uprisingmixture of air and 'oil to be spread outover the plate and subdivides the entering air intominute streamspassing through "the'perforations in the plate 13. From the plate It theair rises upwardly under the conical dividing baffle H], the separationof the air from oil with-which it 'is-commingle'd being restrictedbecause of the converging :walls of the dividing plate,--so that.withinthe .bafile In a thorough contact between the air and oil is attained.At-the upper end of the conical baflie ill the aidmixedair and oilvapors are directed downwardly through the conduits of linesagainlbeingcdistributed in small streams at the llower end of the tankby the T heads and per- ;iora'tions 2| on said pipes, the air thenrising upwardly in contact with oil between the baffle ii! and sidewalls 8 to the upper end of the tank where it may be withdrawn from theline 23.

By the arrangement of the apparatus shown, it has been experimentallyfound that a gas fuel is produced which is very high in heating powersand can be passed from the line 23 over a considerable distributingdistance and used in various burners or appliances in the ordinarymanner of consuming gas, but the gas remains substantially drythroughout the system and the apparatus can be used continuously withlittle attention. One filling of the tank with oil is sufficient inorder for the apparatus to produce satisfactory gas until the oil withinthe tank has been lowered in the space betweenthe walls It] and 8 andalmost to the T pipes 20, after which .pri'sing'an .oil containing tankhaving a depending well :of reduced size therebelow, an inlet for airinto said well, priming pipes extending from the main tank with outletsfor priming oil adjacent the air inlet, and means within said tank forspreading the air in the tank and contacting the same with oil therein.

2. An apparatus for manufacturing a gas fuel.

from a low boiling point hydrocarbon oil, which apparatus comprises anoil containing tank h a ing a well at its lower end, an air inlet hayinga plurality of discharge ports at the lower end of said well, primingpipes extending down' into said well from said tank discharging oiladjacent said air ports, a perforated spreader plate above said wellhaving depending baffle members;

3. An apparatus for manufacturingjjal'gas fuel from a low boiling pointhydrocarbon oil, which apparatus comprises an oil containing tank havinga well at its lower end, an air inlet having a plurality of dischargeports at'the lower end of said well, priming pipes extending down intosaid well fromv said tank discharging oil adjacent said air ports, aperforated spreader plate above said well having depending bafllemembers; and an upwardly converging divider plate above Said ,A;

spreader plate.

ARTHUR HOLDEN. WILLIAM A. BROWN.

